Shen Qianzhan didn’t dare move.

This scene was somewhat like a wild hunting ground where every blade of grass seemed like an enemy. The hunter hid behind trees, and cunningly revealed a pair of eyes hidden under a cap brim from the bushes. She could sense the hunter’s gaze, focused and fervent, like a desert at two in the afternoon where sand burned the feet, while she had nowhere to hide, exposed under his hunting rifle.

She had to pretend ignorance to mask her inner trepidation.

She felt she was being too spineless, yet didn’t dare provoke him actively, still maintaining the rigid posture of half-kneeling on one knee at the bed’s edge.

For a moment, Shen Qianzhan felt like she was erecting a chastity monument—inwardly hungry with desire, yet forced to suppress her yearning to maintain a dignified and restrained appearance.

But in the deepest part, a voice always remained alert and vigilant, like ethereal Buddhist chanting during confusion, washing over her in waves.

After the heat cooled slightly, Shen Qianzhan lowered her eyes and brought her other leg up, kneeling at the bed’s edge. Her hand, originally resting on Ji Qinghe’s left shoulder, moved along his shoulder line to his shirt.

He wore no tie, but his buttons were meticulously fastened all the way to the collar.

Following her heart’s desire, her hand caressed over his shirt, stopping at his chest, then her fingertips wandered to the position over his heart, tracing twice, asking: “Is this place empty or solid?”

“If you want it, it’s empty. By weight, it’s solid.” His eye corners lifted slightly, and when his lips pressed together lightly, the curve was as beautiful as a swan extending its neck into water—every part precisely measured.

Shen Qianzhan also pressed her lips together. This time she met Ji Qinghe’s eyes directly, her gaze neither dodging nor avoiding, sharp as a blade: “Coming without any greeting—aren’t you afraid I’ll be angry?”

“There couldn’t be a worse situation than the current impasse.” He grasped her restless hand, pressing it to his chest: “There’s no signal here. Greeting you in advance would be rather demanding of me.”

“I came to confirm your safety, without those improper thoughts you’re thinking.” While maintaining eye contact, Ji Qinghe was also observing the expressions on her face. Her expression management was almost perfect, rarely showing flaws. But often, extremely subtle eye dodging or forced eyebrow raising still exposed her emotions completely.

This damn man really dared to say anything.

She didn’t know which deity had swiped into her room half an hour ago without warning.

She scoffed, too lazy to hide her strong disagreement with these words.

Footsteps approached from far to near. Shen Qianzhan guessed it was Su Zan and Ming Jue, glancing through the wall with her eyes. Not wanting to waste this rare good atmosphere, she asked her final question: “Heart or body?”

Ji Qinghe was slightly stunned.

According to his expectations, Shen Qianzhan’s third question would either confirm whether he was sincere or dig to the bottom of his true motives.

“Heart or body” was truly an unexpected question beyond his imagination. He didn’t consider too long: “Want both.”

Shen Qianzhan didn’t ask if he was serious.

Regardless of whether Ji Qinghe was a great romantic or knew thirty-six strategies for flirting, just because her phone couldn’t connect and he temporarily changed his Xi’an ticket to come to Wuxi was enough for her to offer all her tender feelings.

After turning twenty-eight, she always said “I’m getting old,” and always felt herself washed by society into realism and rationality. She wouldn’t encounter passionate, reckless romance again, nor would she invest money, time, and the remaining warmth of her life for a man who was essentially just a stranger with some connection.

But today at thirty, she discovered her life could still ignite the impulses of youthful recklessness.

She no longer doubted Ji Qinghe’s ulterior motives. The warning line carved in her mind like commandments reminding her to stay alert shattered like broken glass into powder.

The beeping sound of a door card being swiped next door rang out, and Shen Qianzhan came back to her senses.

She was too embarrassed to say directly “I’ve issued you a pass, whether you can enter depends on yourself.” After all, though the atmosphere was right, things hadn’t been said plainly—a girl’s reserve was still necessary. Moreover, having been so righteously indignant when rejecting Ji Qinghe initially, tearing off this facade now would be bloody.

Being moved enough to pour out everything just because he came through snow to Wuxi—that wouldn’t be her, Shen Qianzhan, but a new generation of Virgin Mary Sue.

When Shen Qianzhan was stubborn, she was truly stubborn, unforgiving when arguing with herself. But once she figured things out, everything else could be cast aside.

Her fingers pressed under his palm curved slightly, gently teasing twice over his heart through his shirt.

Ji Qinghe didn’t immediately understand, and when he looked up, Shen Qianzhan was gazing at him while her other hand lightly scratched his Adam’s apple: “If you want both, let go now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, several light knocks came from the door. Su Zan’s voice seemed squeezed through the door crack, somewhat distorted: “Sister Zhan?”

“President Ji?”

“Are you asleep yet?”

Shen Qianzhan was speechless and silent for several seconds.

She felt at least half her scandals came from Su Zan’s inappropriate word choices.

After knocking, Su Zan pressed his ear to the door and listened for a while.

Confirming there were no messy sounds of moaning or bed creaking, he grew bolder and called again: “Sister Zhan, if you’re not asleep yet, open the door for me.”

There seemed to be quiet arguing inside, followed by the sound of feet touching the floor. All the commotion seemed magnified countless times in the darkness, weaving frame by frame into scenes.

Su Zan’s unhealthy mind immediately conjured up a poorly edited adult film. He cleared his throat, his ear reluctant to leave the door crack: “I’ll count to three. If you don’t respond, I’ll assume you two are getting down to business.”

Whether the foreplay had been long enough or this threat was effective, as soon as Su Zan finished speaking, the door opened.

Shen Qianzhan stood at the door fully dressed, holding a flashlight: “Sorry to disappoint you.”

To be honest.

Su Zan was a bit disappointed.

He was an unlucky player who had particularly bad luck staying at hotels. From when he could first book rooms as an adult to his current middle-aged period, he had never once encountered a live romantic scene.

Originally thinking this hotel had such poor soundproofing that he’d finally hear some live audio tonight, unexpectedly, your mom is your mom, your dad is your dad—youthful regrets remained regrets.

Ji Qinghe had a low fever, nothing serious.

The medical team girl brought fever medicine, said she’d come check his temperature again tomorrow, then yawned and went back.

It wasn’t chaos, but after all the fuss, everyone looked tired.

Shen Qianzhan originally planned to squeeze in with Song Yan, but seeing the time—it was almost dawn—obviously inappropriate to disturb her again. Truly sharing a room with Ji Qinghe, she couldn’t get past it psychologically.

After dawdling for a long time, thinking she might as well swallow her pride and go back with the medical girl, Ji Qinghe seemed to see through her thoughts. Originally wanting to tease her a bit, he caught sight of Su Zan, who didn’t feel he was being a third wheel at all, paused, and said: “Before coming up, I borrowed a folding bed from the front desk. It’s in your room.”

Su Zan, who had been running up and down with excessive exercise, was dumbfounded: “…How did I not know this?”

This time Ji Qinghe didn’t even look up: “You’ve been here the whole time—how could you know?”

Su Zan, who thought he’d watched some excitement: Dead.

Learning this good news, Shen Qianzhan naturally breathed a sigh of relief. Now she finally didn’t stint on showing her thoughtfulness and generosity, personally escorting these two ancestors next door, instructing Su Zan not to sleep too deeply tonight, then successfully retreating to her room to sleep.

On the other side, three men were still awake.

The wind and snow outside seemed to have lessened, only the sound of falling snow could be heard.

Su Zan lay on his side for a while, couldn’t sleep, and turned to look at Ji Qinghe on the folding bed.

Sensing his gaze, Ji Qinghe turned his face to look at him.

This glance was like opening Pandora’s box. Su Zan’s temporarily closed chatterbox suddenly unlocked, talking non-stop. From highly praising Ji Qinghe’s determination to bear hardships to teaching pickup techniques, he spoke for half an hour straight. Just when he thought Ji Qinghe had fallen asleep since he hadn’t made a sound.

Ji Qinghe said: “She’s different.” His voice was slightly hoarse and raspy.

For Shen Qianzhan, forceful seizure didn’t work, playing hard to get didn’t work, pity tactics didn’t work either. He had tried every move and strategy, playing chess methodically and patiently, only to discover that all his tactics weren’t as efficient as seduction.

Thinking of this, Ji Qinghe’s brow ached faintly.

Su Zan didn’t know Ji Qinghe had internal arguments, only thinking he was deeply infatuated with Shen Qianzhan. Just as he was about to shower him with rainbow flattery, he suddenly heard Ji Qinghe ask: “What about those male vixens?”